Proper research of traditional medicinal plants and their uses in the Masaai Community of Kenya

Abstract

Approximately 80% of the rural populations in developing countries rely on traditional medicinal plants for their health care needs. As a result, people have developed their knowledge of these traditional medicines through their experiences and daily observations. In the Maasai community, this information is deeply rooted in their culture, transferred from one generation to the next orally and along gender lines. The vast majority of traditionally used medicinal plants have yet to be adequately evaluated. This study seeks to explore the traditional medicinal plants used by the Maasai for medicinal purposes with the aim of identifying the salient medicinal plants and their uses for phytochemical research. The extraction methods used aim to mimic as closely as possible the traditional methods to produce as closely as possible the traditional ‘herbal’ drug so as topreserve potential active constituents of the plant part. The selection of solvent system largely depends on the specific nature of the bioactive compound being targeted and this also influences the methods of purification and separation to be used.